1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to graphical user interfaces, and in particular, to a method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for filtering a table list before opening with a graphical user interface.
2. Description of the Related Art
Graphical user interfaces (GUIs) have greatly enhanced the usability and productivity of computer software. In most GUIs, such as found in operating systems such as Microsoft Windows (3.x, 95, and NT), IBM OS/2, Apple Macintosh, and some versions of the UNIX operating system, data is supplied to a user through one or more windows or views.
In conventional systems, a GUI is displayed that enables a user to open a table of a database. Databases are computerized information storage and retrieval systems. A Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) is a database management system (DBMS) which uses relational techniques for storing and retrieving data. Relational databases are organized into tables which consist of rows and columns of data. The rows are formally called tuples. A database will typically have many tables and each table will typically have multiple tuples and multiple columns. The tables are typically stored on direct access storage devices (DASD) such as magnetic or optical disk drives for semi-permanent storage.
RDBMS software using a Structured Query Language (SQL) interface is well known in the art. The SQL interface has evolved into a standard language for RDBMS software and has been adopted as such by both the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the International Standards Organization (ISO). The SQL interface allows users to formulate relational operations on the tables either interactively, in batch files, or embedded in host languages, such as C and COBOL. SQL allows the user to manipulate the data.
In a conventional system, when a user wants to open a table in a database, a GUI that includes a window is displayed for the user. The window typically includes a File.vertline.Open menu and/or a Browse command. Upon selection of the File.vertline.Open menu, an Open Database window is displayed that includes the list of databases, a "Look in" dropdown list box for selecting a server to be searched, a "File name" edit box for selecting a database from which tables are to be retrieved, and a "Files of type" dropdown list box for specifying a file type (i.e., the file type could be "IBM DB2 (*)" or "all file types"). When the Open Database window appears, the user selects the "Files of type" dropdown list box to select a file type. For example, to select a DB2 table, the user selects an "IBM DB2 (*)" file type. At this point the IBM DB2 Open Database Connectivity ("ODBC") login window appears and the user logs in.
Once logged in, the Open Database window reappears with the name of the connection (e.g., userid@DB2 ). The user selects the connection and is presented with a list of databases or schema from which to select. The user selects a database or schema and is presented with a list of tables. In a conventional system, displaying the tables for databases which contain a large number of tables takes a long time. Also, since the list is potentially very large, the user may have a difficult time finding the desired table.
In some current systems, a user can enter a database search that will limit the tables that are displayed. However, these systems will retrieve all tables, which is time consuming, and then search for the requested tables. Consequently, a significant need exists for a utility that allows a user to filter table lists more efficiently.